Number plates on an exported vehicle

[53lake]

Some years ago I purchased a 1962 Morris Minor from the UK and imported it to the USA. The seller left the original registration plates on the car. I see how older plates might have a value in the UK and wondered if these do, as I have no use for them here (Texas law strictly requires you display only a Texas plate, although most British classics at shows still carry their UK plates anyway).

Perhaps the fact that the vehicle was exported from the UK means the registration is no longer usable by anyone. Not sure.
Does anyone have an idea about this? Thanks!

[philipkearney]

If the car has been officially exported, then you no longer have that number. It will have been removed from the car by the DVLA and most likely removed from circulation permanently, You may still have the number plates, but I'm afraid that's all you'll have to sell.

[geoberni]

I would agree with the above assumption regarding an officially exported vehicle.
But of course, it may not have been done correctly.
You can use this website to check if the registration still exists over here.
https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/?locale=en

[53lake]

Thanks!
This website just shows it to be untaxed since 2007, which was the year I bought and imported it.

But what an interesting resource! I just searched for my 1968 maroon traveller that I sold to a corner garage for 350 pounds just before moving to the USA in 1983. It was taxed right up until 2016!!

[Murrayminor]

There are some countries where the registration number is transferred from one vehicle to another, i.e. the driver is issued with a number that stays with them forever.
In the UK we can purchase a registration number if we wish and change the registration number to one that suits us, its a very lucrative business with some registration numbers selling for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

In your case say the original number on your minor was ABC 123, had the seller known the vehicle was going to be exported they could have applied to transfer the registration onto another vehicle, say for instance a Rolls Royce, the original number would then be on the system as being a Rolls Royce with the registration number ABC 123 and the Morris Minor would have been issued with another age related number such as DEF 234.

DEF 234 would then become a non transferrable number as the original number was already sold.

Now the number plate on your car at the moment is worthless in the UK as the car was exported and removed from the database.
If it was ever repatriated to the UK then you could apply to have the original number reinstated.